The invention herein relates to wood shaping apparatus, in particular apparatus for the defining of edge cuts on, and the shaping of edge portions of, wood workpieces, the edge cuts and/or edge shaping may be for any of a variety of purposes including decorative edging or to provide interlocks such as dovetail or mortise joints, and the like.
Power drive routers, while not normally utilized for edge shaping because of the difficulties in controlling movement of the tool along the restricted width of the workpiece edge, have on occasion been adapted for such work by means of specialized stand structures which horizontally position the router. Examples of such structures will be noted in the following U.S. Pat. Nos.:
4,163,465, Strong, Aug. 7, 1979 PA1 4,561,478, Fields, Dec. 31, 1985.
A particular problem with the known systems for edge shaping with a power router is protection of the user against potential hazards arising both from the exposed tool bit and the manner in which the wood is introduced and guided during the cutting operation. Safety has heretofore been largely a function of the skill of the user rather than an inherent feature of the apparatus. This, in turn, has limited the use of the equipment to skilled workmen, and has, even with skilled users, required the exercise of great care.